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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25232428">Bending the Rules</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cokebottlesanddenim/pseuds/cokebottlesanddenim'>cokebottlesanddenim</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fluff, Mutual Pining, business partners to friends to lovers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:02:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,583</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25232428</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cokebottlesanddenim/pseuds/cokebottlesanddenim</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jae values his business above all else, but he’s willing to bend some of his own rules to help out a <del>crush</del> <del>friend</del> client.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jae Kim/Chiara Lobosca</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Bending the Rules</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jae stuck his neck around the stacks of the library for the umpteenth time, peering into the larger room beyond where he was holed up. The library was less empty today than usual, but it was still far less conspicuous than a courtyard or a pub. At the tables in the center of the room he saw MC and their usual gaggle of friends gathered, speaking just quietly enough to not alert an ever-hovering Madam Pince. Jae generally didn’t have to worry about them interfering with his business, but he would prefer there be minimal witnesses to his dealings. Jae sighed irritably and stepped back into the shadows behind the towering bookshelf. His client was late, and in his line of business, it was ill-advised to stick around with contraband in your pockets longer than absolutely necessary. To be fair, she was probably the only customer he would even consider bending his rules for.</p>
<p>Just as he was about to call it quits and head out, a silver-haired girl came running around the stacks and stopped in front of him, her head bent over and hands on her knees while she caught her breath. Jae raised an eyebrow at her as she rose to look at him, and she offered him a very apologetic grimace. Aside from the fact that she had clearly run all the way here from her previous location, she looked far worse for wear than he had seen her lately. Her skin was drained from its usual cheery blush, and deep, dark bags hung under her pale eyes. Jae was no expert in astronomy, but he didn’t need to consult a sky chart to know what time of the month it was. One look at Chiara Lobosca was more than enough to confirm that it was a full moon.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” she panted, brushing her hair out of her face. “I ran here as fast as I could, I just finished talking to Sprout, and you know how she tends to go on a bit.” She bit her lip and looked to him, hoping her apology and excuse would be enough to forgive her lack of punctuality. Jae lowered his eyebrow but said nothing, instead drawing attention to the front pouch of his yellow sweatshirt. He withdrew two small parcels wrapped in parchment paper. Wolfsbane, and it hadn’t been easy to procure it either. He had half a mind to charge her extra as an acquisition fee in addition to making him wait, but ultimately decided against it. Chiara looked as though she was having a rough enough day as it was. Chiara dug into her own pockets and procured a handful of silver sickles, but before she could pay and thank him, she was caught off guard by an enormous yawn, which she tried and failed to hide behind a fistful of coins.</p>
<p>“I thought the potion helped make you sleepy when… it’s night,” Jae asked in a low voice, pushing the small parcels into her hands and quickly taking her coins.  “Why do you look like you haven’t slept in days?” Jae wasn’t an idiot, he knew what wolfsbane was good for and why someone would need it monthly. He’d figured it out almost immediately, and it had remained an unspoken but respectful understanding between the two. It didn’t bother him at all, so long as he was getting regular business.</p>
<p>“There’s nowhere in the castle for me to… sleep.” Chiara replied in an equally low voice, but thankfully there was no one anywhere near enough to hear them in this secluded corner of the library. She shoved the wolfsbane deep into her pockets and looked back at Jae, who was regarding her with an expression mixed between pity and concern. “I’d go to the artefact room, but it’s always locked on full moons, so I go to the forest. Even in my form it’s pretty difficult to sleep out there. I’m not the most dangerous thing out there, and even then, you should try sleeping on the cold dirt while acromantula spiderlings crawl all over you.” She shuddered involuntarily at the very vivid thought. “I just wish I had somewhere private to go, but I’m terrified of being caught in the castle. If someone found me it would be pretty difficult to explain myself.” She chucked darkly and yawned again, not even bothering to cover it with her hand this time. Jae watched her. He couldn’t deny that she was a good friend in addition to being a good customer, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t care at all for her wellbeing. He was about to leave her with nothing else but another pitying look when he was struck by a sudden idea.</p>
<p>“I might be able to help you,” he muttered before he could stop himself. He regretted it immediately, it was a really stupid idea, but Chiara’s face lit up gratefully, and Jae couldn’t bring himself to retract his offer. This might be creeping past ‘customer favoritism’ and on towards ‘having an inconvenient crush on his best client’, but he pushed that thought deep, deep down. He stepped past her and out of the shadows of the book stacks. “Meet me on the grounds just after sunset, and if you’re late again,” he eyed her accusingly, “I won’t wait for you.” Chiara nodded, still smiling gratiously, and Jae turned to leave the library as quickly as he could. Any time spent in the library for any reason was too much time as far as he was concerned.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Jae was thankful that Chiara was already waiting for him just beyond the entrance to the castle, having evidentially taken his threat to heart. Her hands were shoved deep in her pockets while she waited in the long shadows of the castle, but she waved cheerfully to him as he approached. Behind her, the sky was streaked yellow and pink as the sun slowly sank below the surrounding mountains. They were both early, and had plenty of time before moonrise, but it was probably in both of their best interests to keep moving. The two fell into step with each other as he led them further away from the castle and down the lawn in the direction of the forest. Chiara furrowed her brow when she saw where he was taking him.</p>
<p>“Are you really just taking me back to the forest?” she asked indignantly, but in reply Jae instead took a sharp turn, leading them parallel to the edge of the forest around the side of the castle. As they walked, an bare, knotty willow tree came into view over the grassy hillocks, its vines swaying softly despite the complete lack of wind in the evening air. It seemed to sense their presence, and the vines began to sway more quickly. Just as they approached the edge of the tree’s range, the vines began to aggressively whip at them, the sharp branches missing them by inches. Chiara was so surprised she took several steps back and stumbled on her own footing. Jae, in contrast, looked completely unperturbed by the angry sentient tree, and pulled his wand out from his sweatshirt pocket.</p>
<p>“Immobulus” he called, and the tree froze, the branches still raised mid-swing. Jae took a step towards the tree, but Chiara hesitated, her eyes watching the stilled vines warily. “It’s alright,” he assured her, signaling her to follow him. “The tree won’t move for a few minutes, and there’s a knot on the trunk that can naturally freeze it again.” Chiara took a tentative step forward, her eyes still fixed on the branches raised menacingly at eye-level. In their frozen state, they seemed tensed for an especially violent whip to be unleashed the second the effects of the charm wore off.</p>
<p>“Why did you take me to a very angry tree?” she asked, following Jae around the perimeter of the tree trunk. Jae stopped, and as Chiara turned to stand next to him she saw that they were now at the mouth of a large hole that had been completely obscured at a distance by the thick roots. The hole was large enough to easily jump down, but now that the last of the sun’s direct rays had sunk below the horizon, it was impossible to see how deep the hole was and what lay beyond it. She turned to face Jae again. “Did you bring me here to sleep in a hole?” she asked, growing exasperated by his string of shady ideas and lack of answers. She appreciated that he was trying to help, or at least said he was, but maybe he didn’t understand that a dark, dirty hole wasn’t much of an upgrade. She may be a werewolf, but she still had standards. </p>
<p>In response, Jae shot her a cheeky grin and bent down, dropping himself into the hole feet first. A small thud a second later suggested that the landing wasn’t too deep or too hard. Chiara slowly approached the hole, dipping her legs in but keeping her rear firmly planted on the grass. However, before she had the chance to overthink this any more, she was alerted by the sound of the tree around her creaking back to life. She quickly dropped herself down the hole just as a nearby branch swung towards her, narrowly missing her head as she fell beneath the earth.</p>
<p>She tumbled down the short, steep slope and found herself in a heap at Jae’s feet. He stood over her, his wand raised and illuminated high above the both of them. They were both in what was clearly a man-made tunnel, with no source of illumination around them other than the light from Jae’s wand. Jae offered her his free hand, which she begrudgingly took and rose to her feet. She still wasn’t sure what Jae was trying to pull. A dirt tunnel wasn’t much better than a dirt hole.</p>
<p>“It’s a bit of a walk, so we should move quickly,” Jae said, turning on his heel to illuminate the path in front of them. Chiara said nothing, still very confused, but pulled out her own wand and lit it, bathing the tunnel around them in magical light. From several feet under the ground, the only sounds she could hear were their own footsteps somewhat muted by the loose dirt under their feet. There were no rats, snakes, and, thankfully, baby acromantulas among them as they walked quickly down the heavily-treaded path. However, some of the prints in the ground were strangely animal-like, although they were mostly obscured by much more recent footprints she could only assume belonged to Jae. Deciding not to dwell on how deer were getting down here, she marched on silently.</p>
<p>After what seemed like an eternity of wandering down an indistinguishably winding tunnel, she began to hear a distant creaking somewhere up ahead. She feared it would be another hostile tree, but Jae continued confidently onward. He stopped at a dead end and raised his wand up, shedding light on a wooden trapdoor just above their heads. He pushed it open and clambered up the sides of the sloping dirt wall, hauling himself through the square hole once he had a good grip. He offered his hands down to pull Chiara up, and she was wholly unprepared for the sight that met her above the trapdoor.</p>
<p>They were in what appeared to be the oldest, most derelict house she had ever been in. Every single window around her was boarded up, and a door to her right, which she could only assume was the front door and original primary entrance, was both boarded and barricaded by a heavy wooden cabinet. A desolate blackened fireplace and faded painting took up an entire wall on one side, and old-fashioned tables, chairs, and counters washed out from age and disuse filled out the floor space. Outdated wallpaper peeled from the wall boards, some detached after years without upkeep, but some stripped by very obvious and deep slashes. Everything around them continuously creaked and settled forebodingly, despite the fact that she was sure it was still a windless night. However, more surprising than the decrepit housing she had found herself in, was the piles of contraband stored around the room on every available surface. Boxes of auto-answer quills were stacked nearly to the ceiling, rare wizard cards in display boxes were lined up on a nearby table, and an assortment of potion ingredients that even Snape would be envious of was neatly labeled and organized on the counter surfaces. There were boxes of sneakoscopes of every size, several sealed and unmarked bags sitting on the threadbare chaise, and a single unopened box on the end table labeled “Love Potions”.</p>
<p>“Had to move shop out here after Weasley exposed my supply in the dorms,” Jae said, looking around at his cache of contraband with a hint of pride in his voice. “Said he had to tell McGonagall if he was going to make prefect, but it’s just as well, I don’t think anyone’s been here in years, so I know my stuff is safer stored out here than in the castle.”</p>
<p>“Where are we?” Chiara asked, her mouth still hanging open a bit as she took in the sheer quantity and variety of items Jae had in stock.</p>
<p>“The Shrieking Shack,” Jae said smugly. Chiara rounded on him, her eyes wide with fear. The shrieking shack was notorious for being haunted with unknown horrors. The progression of places Jae was taking her to was getting worse and worse.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry, it’s completely safe!” Jae said quickly at the sight of her frightened expression. “I’ve been hiding stuff out here for months, and the villagers never come around here on principle even though it’s been silent for years. Besides, anyone who does knows about the secret entrance on the grounds won’t dare go near the whomping willow.” He crossed the room and started walking up a very rickety-looking staircase, indicating that she should follow him. Chiara followed and found herself in a room nearly identical to the room below in size, but this one was furnished mainly by a dilapidated harpsichord and a bed in the corner. Unlike the rest of the destroyed and neglected furniture throughout the house, the bed was fitted with much more recent sheets. Dusty, but still neatly tucked in, was a blanket emblazoned with the Gryffindor crest.</p>
<p>“Did you do this?” Chiara asked as she moved across the room to inspect the bed.</p>
<p>“Actually no, that was like that when I got here.” Jae said. His own brow was furrowed a little in sympathetic confusion. “But that means the most recent occupant of this house was a student, and they had time to make the bed, so I’d say it’s reassuring if anything.” He turned to look at her with a satisfied grin. Chiara looked back at him, a wide appreciative grin playing on her lips. This was exactly the level of privacy and isolation she needed, and honestly it couldn’t be much dustier than the artifact room on a bad day. Jae had really come through on this one. Jae’s stomach did an unexpected flip at the sight of her smile.</p>
<p>“Thanks, Jae, you really didn’t have to do this,” she said, sitting on the bed. As expected, it creaked loudly under her weight, but still held steady. She checked her watch and yelped suddenly. It was much later than she expected, and with their excursion through the underground tunnel and all the windows boarded up, it was impossible to tell how late it had gotten. Moonrise was due in less than half an hour. “You should go,” she said quickly, standing to shoo him.</p>
<p>“Didn’t you take your potion? I got you the ingredients and everything,” he said, although he did take a step back from her cautiously.</p>
<p>“Yes, but… It’s probably best if you’re not around when I transform. It’s not a pretty sight when my whole anatomy rearranges itself, and I don’t want you to see me… like that.” She blushed a little, which was gratefully difficult to tell in the dim lights of their illuminated wands. MC had seen her in her wolf form before, and everyone in their year had definitely seen imagery of werewolves at this point in their education. This was different though, this was Jae. Even though he was one of the very few who was entirely privy to her… condition, she was still clinging vainly to the image she willfully presented to him. If he saw her in wolf form, he might treat her less kindly or think of her differently, no matter how consistent and lucrative of a client she was. She hoped deep down he wasn’t really that shallow, but she was too scared to find out for sure. </p>
<p>She stepped towards him again, trying to urge him more forcefully towards the stairs and back out through the trapdoor. Jae looked a little put out by her sudden insistence on him leaving, but he nodded curtly and turned, taking half the light in the house with him as he went back down the stairs. Chiara watched him go forlornly, the entire house reverberating with every creaky step he took. She heard the sound of the trapdoor snapping shut a floor below, and she lowered herself back onto the bed with a deep sigh. Even though this transformation was routine for her, she was still filled with a silent dread. It was going to be a long night.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>The early lights of dawn were like an assault on Chiara’s eyes as her head popped out of the hole at the base of the whomping willow several hours later. The sun hadn’t properly risen yet, but the sky was starting to turn pale. She scrambled her way out of the secret entrance, and after a few seconds she become aware that the tree was not attacking her. As it had been when she had entered, the tree was stilled, its branches slightly raised in a threatening gesture but otherwise completely motionless. Confused, she crept around the edge of the trunk, and to her surprise saw a slumbering Jae curled up awkwardly against a distinctive knot at the base of the trunk.</p>
<p>The air was chilled in the early morning, but he seemed perfectly cozy in his oversized sweatshirt and plaid pajama bottoms that he always wore in lieu of regular pants. He had obviously not returned to the castle, and her heart swelled with untapped affection for him. With a small smile, she lowered herself against the tree’s trunk so that she was seated next to his sleeping form and cleared her throat loudly. Jae jumped awake immediately, startled by the sound. His elbow was still propped against the knot that kept the tree from swinging into action. He blinked blearily as he took in the sight of her. She giggled softly at his drowsy disposition while he righted himself to sit next to her, his back also against the tree trunk. He looked her over again, his vision starting to clear as he slowly became more awake. The dark bags under her eyes had been greatly diminished, and she seemed genuinely well-rested for the first time in days. Not that he had been keeping track, of course.</p>
<p>“I thought you weren’t the kind to wait for people,” she said teasingly, nudging his shoulder with her own. Jae shrugged.</p>
<p>“Just came down to make sure that you didn’t trash my stash. I’ve got a small fortune in remembralls and I swear I’ll cut you off if you touched them.” He yawned loudly, which very much undercut any seriousness in his threat.</p>
<p>“I promise I touched nothing,” Chiara replied, her tone very serious, but her mouth was fighting against a wide grin. “I transformed, chased my tail a few times, and fell asleep on the bed.”</p>
<p>“Well… I also had to make sure my most valued customer made it out okay,” he said with another ambivalent shrug, hoping he sounded more indifferent than he felt. Who was he kidding, he’d camped outside next to a violent tree for 9 hours to make sure she was okay. He was in over his head. Chiara eyed him curiously, and he cleared his throat. “It’s a pretty long one-way tunnel, didn’t want you getting lost down there,” he added quickly before heaving himself up to his feet and stretching lazily. He was no longer pressing on the pause knot on the trunk, but the tree remained momentarily frozen. He offered her a hand to her feet, which she took graciously.</p>
<p>“Your most valued customer feels better than she has in months,” Chiara said brightly. Although she had already risen to her feet, she didn’t let go of Jae’s hand. She tugged at it gently, indicating they should head back towards the castle. Jae looked down at it as if noticing for the first time and immediately flushed almost as red as the rising sun. Chiara laughed as she led them away from the tree, which seemed to come back to life in their absence and began to resume its foreboding swaying. Jae could listen to that laugh for hours. As they walked together, Jae made a mental note to scratch that acquisition and waiting fee. In fact, he thought as a blissful smile spread over his face, he might just stop charging her altogether.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This was actually my first ever published fic (originally posted on tumblr abt 10 months ago) and I deadass spent abt 3 weeks editing it to the bone because I wanted it to be perfect. Now i know the truth, which is that all jiara content is perfect no matter what.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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